Hi all. A solution, that another company that uses USB dongle protection suggests, is to get a male-to-female USB extension cable. You plug the USB dongle into the female end of the cable, and never take it out, thus protecting the end from wearing out or accidental damage from bumps or incorrectly yanking it out of the computer. Then plug the cable into your computer. The cable takes the wear and tear of plugging/unplugging and also adds flexibility to keep the stick safe. And if the cable ever does get destroyed, it's a simple, quick and cheap fix to replace it, rather than the dongle (which this other company will NOT replace, even if you mail it to them - they make you buy an entire new licence for their software! I applaud Milan for being reasonable in their replacement policy.)

All:Thank you for all the posts regarding my dongle backup request. Of course I never want to be a party to an unscrupulous arrangement but it does not comfort me to be told that the solution to the dongle vunerability problem is "to take good care of my dongle". The very nature of an accident is that it is not intentional. I remember reading somewhere many years ago to a similar dongle inquiry that Bret suggested taking out an insurance policy out to protect the dongle. Of course, premiums can rapidly overtake the cost of the dongle and an entire Hauptwerk software replacement. I would have thought that there would have been a better way. On my computer, the dongle sticks out the front just above the on/off button and is begging to be broken off. I would put the dongle in the rear of the computer out of the way but all,the ports are occupied with other Hauptwerk related hardware, etc. Doesn't Microsoft have DVD's that are one-time use only ? I think so. They have figured out a way that the discs can't be copied. If they can do that, perhaps they could figure out to program in one extra copy for customers to make a one-time backup for similar situations such a lost or damaged discs, hard drives, etc. same for,the dongle. Just a thought. Fortunately my accident was averted and it reminded me to recess the computer into the console even more.

Martin Dyde wrote:"If you break the USB key we will replace it for a small charge once we have received the original USB key back."

So there we have it. Sounds reasonable to me.

I have one of those hubs that allows for three or four USB's to be plugged into it but I have also heard they can be problematic. if this worked I could use one of my USB's on the back of the computer where the dongle would be less exposed to damage.Antoni

Martin Dyde wrote:"If you break the USB key we will replace it for a small charge once we have received the original USB key back."

So there we have it. Sounds reasonable to me.

I have one of those hubs that allows for three or four USB's to be plugged into it but I have also heard they can be problematic. if this worked I could use one of my USB's on the back of the computer where the dongle would be less exposed to damage.Antoni

I've owned and installed multiple USB hubs and never had an issue with any of them. The latest is an Amazon Basics 7 port 3.0 hub. Look for one with sufficient power for the devices you intend to attach.

The Mac Pro that runs my organ lives in a cabinet not too far from the console, so all that is running to the console is one USB cable and one monitor cable. The USB cable then goes to a powered USB 3 hub (non-powered models tend to have more troubles) where the keyboard, mouse, touch interface, and midi interface plug in. The dongle is securely plugged into the back of the computer—out of sight and out of mind.

It would be lovely if all software could freely be shared, but that's not the way things work sadly. The software I use that allows reinstallation after a computer is stolen all require internet connection, and I'm thankful that Hauptwerk does not, as my computer is purposely not connected.